Jung and Pretty
It was a rainy day. I went to Walgreens to
finish my last errand. At the side of the entrance door, there
was a homeless man ( well mannered and clean) who tried to
borrow a cigarette from a passing stranger. Sitting on the
ground beside him was a beautiful black German Shepherd. She
looked very young and healthy and appeared to be six or seven
months old. I told myself not to get involved and went inside
the store. I guess I always have a soft spot for animals
and their caretakers. I couldn't help but pick up some food
and water for the homeless man and the dog. When I got outside,
I was pleased to see that they were still there. By then,
I knew I had to pet the dog and find out more about her situation.
I have heard many stories about how some
homeless people display animals at a hand-out area to appeal
to people's soft spots and hopefully get more money. I was
hoping this was not the case. I felt if I put in a little
effort, maybe my help could make a difference.
I started a conversation as I petted the
dog. The homeless man told me he was very lonely and saved
up $400 to buy the dog. She is a pure German Shepherd named
Pretty. I asked him if he intended to get Pretty spayed. He
said he would like to but didn't have the money now.
He seemed to be very sincere. I felt really
relieved about his willingness to get the dog spayed, so I
offered to help. I told him to wait for me the next morning
at the same place, and if I managed to find a place to take
care of the surgery, I would take Pretty to be spayed and
then to my home to recuperate. I was very pleased that he
agreed to do it.
I came home and made some phone calls. The
SPCA does have a program to help homeless people's pets but
they require the owner to be present when the dog is brought
in. I was reluctant to do that, because I really didn't know
this person, and if I relied on him to take the bus to the
SPCA, I didn't know if he would consider that a priority.
I finally found a vet in Novato, who agreed to
do the surgery on that same day. I went to meet the homeless
man and picked up Pretty. After I dropped her off, I realized
that if she recuperated at my home even for just a few days,
I knew I would get too attached to her and it would be too difficult
for me to return her to Jung, her owner. I decided to board
her at the Vet for her recuperation.
I picked up Pretty five days later. She
must have been cage crazy, because when I put her in the back
of my station wagon with a chain so she wouldn't get out in
case I opened the door. Somehow she managed to squeeze herself
through a small hole and became stuck in the middle of the
passenger seat. She couldn't make it to the front seat because
of the chain. While all that was happening she pooped in the
car, and since I was on the freeway, I couldn't stop to
clean it up.
We finally got to Walgreens, and I hoped
Jung, her owner, would be there. He wasn't so I took Pretty
to my home and cleaned up the car. Jung was there when we
went to find him the second time. Pretty sat next to me and
I told her what a good girl she was. It was still raining
and the thought of her being with Jung again broke my heart
but I had no choice. I didn't want to break the trust between
Jung and me. I was hoping later on I could talk him into letting
me help find Pretty a more permanent home if his situation
didn't improve.
I was glad I didn't let her recuperate in
my home because it would have been even more difficult for
me to give her up. I bought more food and water for them and
left my card with him and assured him if he needed any help
with Pretty, he could contact me and I would help him. He
told me he had found a shelter that will allow him and Pretty
to stay inside at night temporarily .
As I was leaving them, I had mixed feelings
about the whole situation. I was glad that Pretty had been
spayed, so I didn't have to worry about her being used as a
breeding machine for money. I was sad that such a nice dog
had to live a life that is so unstable. I prayed that some
day Jung will get his life together, and somehow I believe
Pretty will have a lot to do with that.